Trolley



Feb. 15, 1927.

J. FIEARING ET AL TROLLEY File 9st! '2, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 unnmmm+ J W w 1 m Feb. 15, 1927. ,618,072-

J. L; FEARING ET AL TROLLEY Filed Oct, 7, 1924 z s t -S t 2 1 l QQ-EZ Has/(e22 Fit 322mm:

Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN L. BEAR NG AND HASKELL r. WELLMAN, on AsHLAND', KENTI-IGKY, As

SIGNORS T THORNTON TROLLEY WHEEL CORPORATION OF KENTUCKY.

TROLLEY.

This invention relates to an improved 1 trolley and seeks, among other objects, to

provide a device of this character-wherein the bearings and journals for the trolley will be. effectually-lubricated, wherein said bearlngs and journals will be so formed that they Will tend to retain their shape and re-' sist wear so that the trolley wheel will at all times run true, wherein means will be provided for pressing the bearings into the journals for automatically taking up wear as well as preventing. the loss of lubricant, and wherein the; bearings maybe interchanged when worn, trolley will be characterized by exceptional efficiency and a capability of long service as a :further object, I

The invention seeks,

to provide a trolley which may be'readily assembled, wherein but a single bolt will be holding the parts in assemI-c employed for bled'relation, and wherein the nut of said bolt may be adjusted for positively taking up wear occurring between the bea'rlngsandf journals of the trolley wheel. l

And the invention seeks, asa still further object, to provide a' trolley employing grease reservoirs both for, the bearings :andjourn'als of the trolley,rand wherein, said bear-r ings as well as the wheelmay-be readily removed. a

Other; and incidental objects will appear hereinafter. a V In the drawings proved trolley,

Figure 3 isja, vertical sectional view on' the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in' the direction indicated by the arrows,

' receive a trolley "rope -as indicatedat T13 Figure 4 18 a 4-4 of Figure indicated by the'arrows, v a g Figure 5 is a perspective view showing sectional iew on the line Figure 6 tion. V

In carrying} the invention into eflect,

we employ a Ip which: is formed; with a socket '10 to receive a trolley pole, as conventionallyillustrated at 11, and formed on the socketat its ,lower side is an eyer12to to the end thatthe 1,1looking in the direction 1 V v and formed onthe sprlngs 31 at their inner bearing plates employed, and as Extending from the socket are parallel fork arms indicated for convenience at ltandj15, which are provided wlth marginal reinforcing flanges 1.6, and formed in said arms at their inner ends are, as particularly shown n Flgure 4, medial slots 1'1 while near their outer ends the arms are provided with. alined opemngs 18. Formed: on thearm 14L lugs 19.

Removably fitting the outer ends of fork arms 14 and 15 ofthe harp are bearing: plates 20 provided at theirouter sides with] 1 at opposite sides of the'opening 18 therein are, as shown in Figure 1, parallel stop flanges 21' extending from the edges. of'said.

plates to overlie the. flanges '16 of said arms, and extending from the plates at their inner sides are substantially ,hemi-spherical bearings 22 which, as shown in detail in Figure 5, are formed with axial openings: '23 as well as with lubricant passage'slZ. The bearings 22 are open at their larger ends andjprovide grease reservoirs 25 in which are disposed substantially hemisphe ricajl terial; Fitting in the flanges 21 of the plates packings 26 of felt or otherapproved -mato overlie the outer sides ofsaid platesarej'flat'bearing springs -27v from the'inner end portions of which are struck medial in wardly offset tongues 28 and formed on the springs at their inner ,endsare somewhat wider tongues 29 alining with the tongues of the springs overlie the'outer ends of the reservoirs 25 for retaining the packings 26 therein and formed in said springs areopenings 30 alining with the openings 2301 the,

bearings 22. Overlyingthe plates 20 at their.

- :7 "-28. As shown incFigure 4:,athe outerends Figure 1 1s a side elevation of-ourr 1111-.

tongues 29. At

freely surrounding the bearings 220i the their outer ends, the contact springs; are provided with lcontactg-ring's 33 bearing plates, and formed in saidsprings near their inner endsare'openings34acco1nmodating the tongues 28* of the springs27.

These tongues thus serve to connect the con tact springs-with the bearing springs 2'? so. that the bearing-plates 20 are held between theouter end of said springs, apai'rof the springs and each of the bearing pla, t6S f0Im" Formedin the contact springs 81 at the inner;

sides ofthe rings33 are notches 35 and, freely suri unding-the bearings 22 are con 'tact washers 36 provided at their outer sides ing, assuggested in Figure 5-, a unit which may be bodily assembled upon either of the fork arms 14 and 15. This assembly is accomplished simply .by slipping the bearing plates over the outer endsof the fork armsand coincidently directing the registering tongues 29 and 32 of the springs through the slots 17 at the inner ends of said arms when the springs will coact with the armsfor removably .securingthe bearing plates thereon. The assembled bearing plates and springs may, of course, beremoved -Wltll equal changed. Accordingly, should the bearings 22 of the plates become worn at their upper sides, the bearing plates may be reversed to present fresh surfaces ofthe bearings at the points where: the greatest wear occurs.

with-lugs -87 engagingin said notches for lockingtliewashers againstrotation Journaled between the bearings22 of the bearing plates is atrolley wheel 38. This Wheel is provided with. a hollow hub 39 closed at its ends by substantially lieinispherical jo'urnals40 whichare formed to fit the bearings "22, the hub providing a. .reservoir4l'between the journals. The iournals may be formed'integral with the hub, in "which case the hub is cored out to provide the reservoir 41,.or,'as shown in Figure 6 of thedrawings, separate journals 42 in the nature of-n'ietal'stampings, may be employed.

In suchinstance, the liub'is formed at its endswitli a-nnular channels 43 to snugly receive the peripheral flanges of the journals A passages 45z-- In m'ounting the wheel, the

while,-as shown at the left of Figure 6, after the ournals have been pressed into position, the ends otthe hub are preferably upset for securing-the journals in position. Also, if, I desired, the hubinay be formed at one end with aii'iiitegral journal and closed at its opposite end by aseparate 1ournal like the journals 42, whichare, of course, identical with i3l16-]0l1l11fil$ 40, Formed in the jour-i nals '40 are axial openings 44 somewhat larger than theopenings 23 of the bearings. and said ournals are also preferablypro' vided,.as sliown in Figure 3, with lubricant pairs of springs27' and 31 are first assembled upon the bearing plates'2O, as previouslyde scr1bed,'-a nd then the washers-36am applied; The b'earingz plates are thenassembled; with the wheel so that the bearings 22 will rest 7 in the journals 40 of the wheel, the wheel and bearings being then assembled upon the fork arms 14 and 15 of the harp, This latter.

operation is, of course, accomplished .by

directing the wheel between the fork arms and slipping the bearing plates overfthc outer ends of said arms, as previously de- Y scribed, while the tongues 29 and 32 of the i springs 27 and31 are; 'coincidently directed through the slots 17 of SillClflIlllS. I p 7 Extend ng through the registering; openings 18 of the fork arms 14 and 15 of the;

journals '40, is a bolt 46. At one end, this bolt is formed with a head'47rwhich, as?

shown in Figure 1, is snugly received between the lugs 19 of the arm 14..to coact therewith for lockingthe boltagainst rotation, and screwed upon theboltrat itsz-oppositeend is a nut 48 preferably locked by a key 49. T The single bolt' 46 thus serves to secure all of the parts in assembled relaharp, through the openings 30 of thesprings '27, through the paekings 26 and through the. openings 23 and 44' of thebearings 22 and tion and formed in the bolt from the head end thereof is,-as shown in Figure 3, 'an axial passage 50 from which leads'a passage 51 opening through the periphery of the bolt into the reservoir 4l of the wheel hub. Normally elosing'tlie'passage 50 atits outerend is a spring pressed plug 52.-

In use, the packings 26, are soakedwith greasewhile oil is introduced. into the reservoir 41 of the wheel hub 39 through the passages 50 and-51 0f thebolt 46; Accordingly, when the wheel; is in: operation,. grease will feed through the passages 24of the bean ings 22 for lubricating the cooperating surfaces of saidbearings'and the journals 40 of the wheel. Rotation of the wheel -W1ll,' of

course, tendto throw the oilin tlie reservoir 41 away from the axis of said reser- -voir by centrifugalforce." .I-IoWevenwhen the wheel'is atrest oilavill flowifrom the reservoir through the liearings 22'for replenishing the packings jWllJli lubricant. Thus," the packings will be maintained in a saturated condit on so-thatpatno time will the bearings and.

I the openings 44 of ftl e ournals '40 andthrough the openings 23 'of journals become dry aiid,of course, fresh oil may,without the necessity OfI'GHIOVlIlg the wheel,be introduced into the reservoir 41 through the" passages of the'bolt 46 from time to time, hen the wheel is at rest oil willalsoflow from the reservoir 41 to enter through: any of the openings 45 submerged, for directly lubricating the cooperating facesof the bearingsand' journals;- i

- The' springs"27, being arranged to overlie the outer ends'ofithe bearings 22, will tend to prevent the loss 'oflgreaseflat the outer ends of the bearings. Furthermore; "these spr ngs areaso shapedgandare so mounted.

3 that they will exert a constant inward pressure on the bearing plates 20. The springs will, therefore, resist possible ex pansion of the packings and willserve to press the bearings 22 inwardly to snugly fit within the journals 40. These springs will,

. therefore, prevent any looseness and, as

Wear occurs between the bearings and journals, will automatically take up such wear. Furthermore, Wear between these parts may be positively taken up by adjustment of the nut 48 on the bolt 46. The washers 36 are interposed between the rings 33 of the springs 31 and the ends of the hub 39 of the wheel to protect the rings against wear;

Furthermore, these washers will tend to prevent escape of lubricant at the open ends of the journals 40. The springs 31 are so shaped and mounted that, as shown in Figure 4, these springs will constantly press the washers inwardly against the ends of the hub. Efficient electrical contact of relatively large area is thus established between the washers and the wheel hubso that ourrent may flow from the trolley wire to the wheel and thence to thewashers and through the springs 31 to the trolley-harp. In thus.

providing an efficient path for current flow,

pitting of the wheel as well as pitting of the bearings and journals is avoided;

Having thus described the invention, whatwe claim is: r

1. A trolley including a harp. having arms,

7 bearings loosely fitting said arms, a wheel journaled between the bearings, and springs extending along the arms between said arms and the bearings and pressing the hearings to coact with the wheel.

2. A trolley including a harp having arms,

bearing plates loosely fitting said arms and provided with hollow hemi-spherical bearings forming lubricant reservoirs, a wheel mounted between the bearingsand provided with journals fitting said bearings, and

springs extending between said bearing plates and the arms and acting on'said plates for pressing the bearings into the ournals of I the wheel. Y

3. A trolley'including a harp having arms provided with slots, bearing plates loosely fitting said arms and provided withbearings,

a wheel journaled between said bearings, and springs provided at their inner ends with tongues engaged in said slots and extending at their outer ends between the plates and arms to act upon the-plates for pressing the bearings toward the wheel.

- 4. A trolley including a harp having arms,

bearing plates slidably fitting said arms and having bearings rising therefrom, a. wheel having a hub ournaled between said beare ings, springs acting on the bearing 'platels jfor pressing the bearings-to coact with the wheel hub, washers surrounding the hearings to bear against the hub, and other springs pressingthe washers into engagement with the hub.

5. In a trolley, coacting bearing plates bearings of the plates of said units;

6. In a trolley, coacting bearing plates having bearings r sing therefrom, springs overlying the. plates at corresponding sides thereof and provided with tongues, other.

springs overlying the plates at their opposite sidesv and provided with rings loosely surrounding said bearings as well as slots'accommodating said tongues for connecting the springs with each other to form units each having its bearing plate mounted between the springs thereof, a harp removably mounting said units, and a wheel journaled between-the bearings of the plates of said units. I

7. In atrolley, coacting bearing'plates having bearings rising therefrom, springs overlying the plates at corresponding sides thereof and provided near their inner ends with tongues as wellas vat their inner ends with other tongues, other springs overlying the opposite sides of said plates and provided with rings surrounding said-bearings as well as slots accommodating the former tongues of said first mentioned springs, the latter springs being-also provided at their inner ends with tongues overlying the tongues at the inner ends of the former Isprings and the springs being connected by said first mentioned tongues to form units each having its bearing plate mounted upon the springs thereof, a harp having arms",

loosely mounting said bearmglplates and provided at their inner endswith slots accommodating the overlying tongues at the inner ends of said springs for removably mounting the units upon the arms, a wheel journaled'between the bearings of said plates, said first mentioned springs acting on the plates for pressing the hearings to coact with the wheel, and washers interposed be tween said rings and the wheel and pressed by the latter springs to coact with the wheel.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures. V vv JOHN L FEARING.

; HASKELL F. wELLMAuf 

